Using the word, gay

This class has really opened my eyes to the ignorance of people but this is one thing that has always bothered me. Why do people use the word gay to mean dumb or stupid? When I hear someone saying, "that's gay" when they are not talking about anything (even closely) related to being homosexual, I just want to scream at them. Why don't they understand how offensive that is? There are people who really are gay. Some people are still uncomfortable with sharing who they are and others are proud to express their identity but either way, this is offensive. How can people be so inconsiderate? Do I have a place to speak up? And who started this terrible phrase?

Asian Pacific American

After the class discussion about Asian Pacific Americans, I started thinking about common generalizations. Why do people group certain Asian backgrounds together? Why would someone who is Korean be referred to as Chinese? How have people become so ignorant? You wouldn't refer to someone who was Italian as Swedish. You probably wouldn't even refer to someone who was German as French. Why can ignorant Americans tell European Americans apart but don't seem to care to educate themselves with people who are different than "just white"? The Asian American umbrella shouldn't be any different than the European American umbrella. People from different places have their own identities and their own cultures. When did certain groups of people get bundled into the same group?

Response to the film on Autism

Without much background knowledge on autism, I was quite surprised by many aspects of the film we viewed in class. Hearing autism described by a girl who has been dealing with it her whole life was fascinating. To know that she realized she couldn't control herself and that she felt like there was nothing she could do about the actions and movements that took over her body is something that I can not imagine.

Sue is a girl who has overcome a huge portion of her autism. She can communicate now, thanks to something that resembles a translator box. She said that before she was able to communicate, she was a non-person. She was thought to have the mental ability of a two and a half year old and once she learned to successfully communicate, it was discovered she was quite an intelligent individual who was very interested in learning.

I began to think about a few of the questions that were posed in class. Besides with having to deal with a disability, what would it be like to have so much inside of you, like she has, and not be able to express it to the world around you? She said she felt trapped at times and like she was her own worst nightmare. She was experiencing feelings and opinions that she was unable to express in ways that others could interpret. The world around her was moving so fast and didn't seem to have the time or patience to wait for her. Luckily, she had a great support system that backed her up from the very beginning and always looked out for her best interest. Without caring people on her side, Sue may still be in a world where she was unable to communicate with those around her. Able-bodied and able-minded people can not even begin to imagine what a world that is so unreceptive to those different than the norm is like. Will there ever be a way to make the lives of those with disabilities as "normal" as our everyday lives?

Children's Book Awards

After discussing the variety of book awards that exist in children’s literature, I have begun to think more in depth about whether or not those awards are necessary. With the existence of the Caldecott and Newberry book awards, it seems as though the other awards only make it more acceptable that diverse literature does not get the recognition it is worthy of. These awards consider only diverse literature of a certain category which almost sets an allowance for the Newberry and Caldecott awards to look right over this type of literature. It is important to “mainstream” this diverse literature and keeping it separate in one aspect just furthers the separation in all aspects of literature.

Some may argue that these separate awards allow the book to gain recognition but if this type of literature is to be gaining the same type of respect that all other children’s literature is, it should be considered on the same level. The authors that are reaching out to readers to educate them in ways that are sparsely available and that is important. At the same time, these authors need to put themselves at the same level that other authors are at in terms of their expectations concerning literature recognition. All children's literature should be recognized and appreciated in the same ways and these extra book awards are just unnecessary and make that hard to do.

Reflecting on the African American Literature Discussion

After a really in-depth small group and class discussion, I began thinking about Bronx Masquerade, by Nikki Grimes, in a different way. A lot of important points were brought up but most of the topics that stand out have to do with dealing with stereotypes.

It seems as though Grimes has created and reinforced the stereotypes in the characters that are portrayed in her story. She creates students that begin as young people who fit into very stereotypic "African American" roles. Does she break these stereotypes? Does she force us to look at them more deeply? These have become ideas that are understood and accepted and it is a concern that the readers will walk away from the book thinking this is the way all inner-city students are. Tyrone is the character whose voice carries throughout the whole story. He acts as the one who links all of these students together and leads the realization that no one is only skin deep. He comes right out and says that the students he once used to think fit into a certain "box" no longer fit into the same place anymore. The students reveal deep thoughts about themselves through poetry and prove to be so much more than their outward appearance.

Considering all of that, the question still exists, does Grimes break through those stereotypes or only reinforce them more for her readers? How can we even begin to come up with an answer?

Insider/Outsider

I strongly believe that multi-cultural literature is important for people of all ages to read. It is especially important to begin teaching diverse literature in the classroom at a young age. One of the most important factors to influence the authenticity of the literature is the author. Knowing the writer makes a big difference in the way diverse literature should be looked at.

There is an ongoing debate about whether or not diverse literature can be considered authentic and reliable if the author is not an "insider". An insider is someone who is part of a culture and chooses to write about it. They have first-hand experience and can relate to what they are writing. An outsider does not have this experience and therefor may not be considered reliable by some.

I believe that it is important for someone to have experience with the culture they are writing about in order to accurately inform readers. It is an important aspect of diverse literature, to me, to be as authentic as possible. An author with first-hand experience and knowledge of a culture is more likely to write accurately about that culture. I will be sure to choose diverse literature for my own, personal library written by authors sharing authentic information.

Native American Discrimination

After watching the video in class today about the controversy of Native American mascots in schools, I've gained a whole new perspective on the topic. Mostly, I was outraged. The comments made by ignorant people in the Chief Illini debate blew my mind.

One man said that the mascot antics of the University were honorable and dignified. He said they did not use plastic heads or the tomahawk chop. They are making a mockery of the American Indian people and they don't even realize it. The ones that do have a slight realization do not seem to care. They care about the tradition of the school and can't seem to open their minds to make the rightful change. The woman speaking about her American Indian background said that it would be better if they were outwardly mocking the heritage and making it into more of a joke with a cartoon character. Instead, they are making a mockery of an honorable tradition and culture.

Another man made a comment that shocked me even further. He said that minority rights aren't always right. Did he really say what I think he said? He actually thinks that minorities should have even less rights than they already have? It is absolutely ridiculous to think that this man thinks the rights of these people should be further taken away. It seems as though he could not be any more ignorant.

The way some people think is mind blowing to me. It is really hard to believe that so many people are as uneducated and as ignorant as they actually are. This is a controversy that should never have become one. Something needs to be done for these people and changing mascots is a small step towards them gaining the respect they deserve.